The cast of “The Jersey Boys”, who are in town with the touring Broadway Production will make an appearance at the eighth annual Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Wine Tasting Gala this Friday night, March 16th, at the Wells Fargo Center, downtown. Coughlin will bring a bit of Jersey flavor to the already stirring group of celebrity guests from the sports world and beyond who will join the one thousand supporters. Cuisine from the area’s top restaurants and world-class wines will be served in a walkabout format downtown. All proceeds support the Jay Fund’s mission to provide financial and emotional assistance to local families who have a child with cancer.

This food and wine foray will be hosted by two time Super Bowl winning Coach Tom Coughlin, the founder of the Jay Fund. While socializing, eating and drinking guests will also enjoy bidding on auction items including sports memorabilia, rare wine and exciting trips. “When a child is diagnosed with cancer, there is nothing else as important to the family as caring for the child. The Jay Fund steps in with real and tangible help to lift some of their financial burdens”, says Coughlin.

Southern Wine & Spirits of North Florida presents the event for the Jay Fund and has put together a fantastic selection of over 200 wines for this gathering, from all over the world. The Platinum Sponsors who make the event possible are: ABC Fine Wine & Spirits, Acosta Sales & Marketing, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, Brumos Motorcars, Crawford Investment Counsel, and Wells Fargo.

$634,000 in grants were distributed by the Jay Fund in 2011. All proceeds from this event will go directly to the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation’s mission of benefiting local children suffering from cancer.

Although this event is completely sold out, the media is encouraged to attend and will have the opportunity to conduct interviews, take photos and shoot video from 6-7pm. Please contact Keli Coughlin at 904-543-2599 or [email protected] to be places on the media list.

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The Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation was created in honor of Jay McGillis. Jay was a very special young man who was a member of Coughlin’s team at Boston College and developed leukemia. The courage, compassion and faith he demonstrated during the course of his illness were an inspiration to many people. The mission of the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation is to assist children with leukemia and other cancers and specific bone marrow failure syndromes* by providing their families emotional and financial support to help reduce the stress associated with treatment and improve their quality of life.